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Modular
Packaged Systems
As
stated elsewhere at this Website, all equipment required for
creating integrated CHP systems are currently available and
the custom systems provide many benefits to those who install
them.
For
better interoperability and marketability, CHP component manufacturers
need to create systems that physically fit the generation
and heating/cooling/dehumidification components together,
plug-and-play modular systems. Systems where the power and
thermal loads are well matched within the system, and have
effective and standardized communication protocols between
components within the system and with external energy control
devices.
Designing
plug-and-play systems for CHP systems is critical to reducing
the time and effort required to integrate system components.
Universal connection standards would greatly simplify installation
and maintenance—and encourage acceptance of the technology
by the architectural and engineering community. Simplified,
pre-engineered, skid-mounted CHP systems would make building
owners responsible only for connecting power, piping, and
ducting. Controls may be connected to a local network, permitting
onsite personnel to operate the equipment either directly
or remotely from a PC.
Industry,
government and academia are now working together to develop
modular packaged systems for CHP. Such systems have the potential
to maximize deployment of CHP systems, further increase their
energy efficiency and reduce their costs.
On
June 18, 2001 , Secretary Abraham announced the "First
Generation" Packaged Cooling, Heating and Power Systems
for Buildings awards. The following contracts
were negotiated with seven industry teams for research,
development and testing of new first generation packaged
CHP systems for commercial and institutional buildings:
- Burns & McDonnell:
4.6 MW gas turbines and 2,500 RT lithium bromide absorption
chillers (PDF)
- Honeywell:
2-5 MW gas turbine and 500 — 2,000 RT absorption chiller
(PDF)
- United
Technologies: 400 kW miniturbine with absorption chiller
(PDF)
- Gas
Technology Institute: 290-770 kW engine generator with
absorption chiller (PDF)
- Ingersoll
Rand: 70 kW microturbine with ammonia-water absorption
chiller (PDF)
- Capstone
Turbine: 60 kW microturbine with absorption chiller and
desiccant dehumidifier (PDF)
- No
presentation was made on this project in 2003
- NiSource:
Microturbines with advanced heat recovery for hotels
(PDF)
Clicking
on any of the above links shows the development status of the
cognizant system as it was presented at the DOE Distributed
Energy Resources Peer Review Meeting held in Washington , DC
on December 2-4, 2003 . Copies of the presentations made on
these projects at the DOE Integrated
Energy Systems Peer Review Meeting held in Nashville ,
TN in May 2002 are also available.
According
to DOE officials, modular packaged CHP systems for buildings
will be a breakthrough in energy efficiency; CHP systems can
offer up to a 30-40 percent improvement in a building’s
energy efficiency over today’s best practices, leading
to reduced energy and demand charges for building owners.
The
DOE has installed a building integration "test
site" at an office building on the campus of the
University of Maryland. Some of the objectives of the test
site are to study how the CHP system integrates with the building
systems (HVAC and electrical) and how system integrates within
itself. Ronald Fiskum, a Program Manager for DOE’s Office
of Distributed Energy Resources, says, "In the near future,
CHP for Buildings systems will be engineered in the factory
— instead of in the field. The system behind the
building here at the University of Maryland may one day be
on just one skid. You bring the whole skid in, you hook up
the electricals, and you’re ready to go." The Ron
Fiskum conversation can be heard
in Real Media.
A
virtual tour of the test site
at the University of Maryland provides a visual tour with
written descriptions for each view of the site.
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